8.20.07 — Home: Early Monday

“All of our lives have changed in ways too inexplicable to understand at present, but I am
concentrating on “today” and trying not to look back into the past, or anticipate too much from
the future. All my yesterdays have led up to today, and all my tomorrows will grow out of it, so
I’d best be here and now!” Paula Zurcher—August 12, 2007
These past 48 hours have engulfed my mind and body. As I flew half way around the globe, I
tried being lucid in all my actions and conscious of what was happening in every moment of
time, place, and circumstance. Paula‘s wisdom became my silent mantra reminding myself to be
present and awake each and every moment, while knowing that my thoughts have the power to
turn a situation around. I practiced seeing things as they are, feeling each moment right now, and being aware of the reactions taking place within me at the same time. It‘s been an enlightening whirl of emotions and subtle realizations.
I am home and I am changed. I have been a part of history in the making. My body is tired yet it is alive…more alive than it has ever been! My mind is alert. It is 4:30 a.m. I am wrapped in a blanket of love. My neighbors and friends have thoughtfully welcomed us home with surprise
sticky notes scattered in different rooms; groceries are stocked on the kitchen counters and in the fridge; I have new plants; there are soft rolls of toilet paper in the bathrooms; a fresh cake of
smelly soap sits on the tub; and a huge vase of colorful sunflowers, lilies, and roses perfumes the
air. My surroundings are familiar yet I feel unsettled. I feel a light pleasure of being at home
entwined with a heavy ache and missing in my heart for what I have left behind. I know full
well that my purpose right now is not to grasp, but to be. And so I sit here in darkness.
Dale is asleep, and Tucker is curled up on the ottoman with his head resting on a scrap of
sheepskin like the spoiled pup he deserves to be. I have parked my wheelchair at the dining
table. My laptop screen illuminates the room along with a faint golden blush from a vanilla
scented candle. I see the silhouette of the cotton wood branches in the moon‘s glow and a hint of
dawn settles on the horizon. The crisp mountain air and constant purr of the river outside my
window is peaceful and comforting—a welcome gift of nature‘s serenity as opposed to the
steady hum of the air-conditioner that has lulled me to sleep these past two months in Delhi.
These past two months in Delhi have changed me more deeply beyond the embryonic stem cell
therapy and the miracles that have taken place in my body. I have been on a journey of
discovery into the most intimate recesses of my consciousness. It has been an adventure of
delving into my emotions—of letting go and forgiving, embracing my fears, and fully accepting
and loving myself. With that, my body has come alive with India‘s spell.
I learned to embrace Delhi‘s incomparable diversity. Its frenetic pace, splendid color, old with
new, filth, pungent smells, and incessant hustle and bustle contradicted an overall voice of prayer
and calm equanimity amongst the people. While paradoxical describes Delhi, the word family
embodies India. There, the divine bleeds through into the unique and eternal face of Humanity
and I was One, a part of a collective whole…a part of a family.
I have been surrounded by the most loving, nurturing people who genuinely cared and cheered
for my every success. From our faithful driver, Chatorsingh; to Celestin, the doorman; to Raj,
the hostess with the mostess; to Vandana, the receptionist; to Ruth and Isha and all of the nurses;
to the doctor‘s assistants; to the room attendants: everyone has an attitude of optimism as though
they are a part of something special helping their fellow man. You all have impacted me and
have made a difference. ―Thank you!‖ I kept saying with each breath, frustrated that I couldn‘t express ample gratitude for all that was given to me. ―Thank you for giving me life. Thank you
for the gift of life.‖
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
I am back to myself. I am rested, my laundry is almost done and everything has been ―de-
Delhified‖. Tucker has had a bath and he is lying by my side with his head on my wheel. Last
night I inhaled my dream meal that I‘ve been craving for two months—wild salmon, Swiss chard
and a crunchy green salad…and I slept through the night with my head on Dale‘s chest. Life is
great. I am catching up and I am immersed in a valley of love.
Thank you to this most special community for supporting and cheering me every muscle
movement and new sensation of my way. Thank you for your emails, for your positive energy
and your welcome home gifts. Mostly, thank you for your belief and on-going encouragement of
Dr. Shroff‘s ground-breaking stem cell treatment. I am part of a world first. I will heed to my
calling to create positive awareness and share Dr. Shroff‘s human embryonic stem cell therapy
around the globe so that it is made available to everyone. Along with Dr. Shroff and Dr Ashish
Verma, I too have a purpose and a responsibility to Humanity. I am living proof that embryonic
stem cells work! I have received a gift from God. I will inspire and motivate others restoring
hope into the vocabulary of those who had given up.
My message is: ―Don‘t give up hope. Instead, look forward to wellness. You have the
opportunity to experience the gift of life with human embryonic stem cells. No matter what your
ailment is, whether you are deemed incurable or terminally ill, you will get better!

With so much love and thanks from my little condo on the river in Basalt, Colorado…
Amanda xoxxoxo

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My History, My Story

On February 27, 1992 at the age of 24 I sustained a complete spinal cord injury at T11/12 (that is, no feeling or sensation at thoracic vertebra 11 & 12). I am able to recall the accident vividly in my mind's eye to this very day. I was downhill skiing. Everything happened in slow motion. A freak somersault and in a split second I shattered four vertebrae. It was as though somebody turned off a light switch. An electric current zapped through my legs and in an instant there was nothing.

15 1/2 Years with No Changes…

I have always been an active woman. For 15 1/2 years I sort out various alternative healing therapies yet I showed no improvement. Early on I tried standing tall in leg braces, but my efforts proved fruitless, plus I had a couple of horrible falls. Sitting simply became more functional. In August 2000 I was the recipient of the Vocare Bladder Implant, which helped me void my bladder using electrical stimulation. For 15 1/2 years I kept my legs supple and alive with various alternative healing therapies, yet I showed no improvement. I was paralyzed with no sensation or movement from the top of my pubic bone down. While I arrived at a place of acceptance with my paralysis, I have always had an uncanny insight that one magical day my legs would support me. Secretly, I never gave up hope.

HOPE Restored!

While my spinal cord injury took away my ability to walk, it didn't take away my ability to dream. TODAY I am turning my dream into my reality one baby step at a time.
On June 25, 2007 I was the first US Citizen to undergo Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) Therapy with Dr. Geeta Shroff in Delhi, India.
During my initial two month visit, I not only witnessed astounding improvements in my own body, but with many patients who have life restored within their bodies and a newfound reason to not give up but LIVE!

New Sensations, New Muscle Power–I Am Defying the Odds!

I am compelled to share my experiences with the world. Since my first stem cell treatment in 2007, and after 15 1/2 years of being in a wheelchair I now have increased sensation with light touch and with deep sensation tingling all the way to my toes; my bladder and bowels are beginning to function again; and I have increased muscle power in my legs including gluteal muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors and abductors, and a flicker in my calf muscles too. Hope is now a part of my vocabulary!